The Southern Strategy

"According to Kruse, white resistance in places like Sandy Springs marked the birth of a new sort of conservatism. In the old politics of white supremacy, white Southerners battled for control of public institutions—they insisted on a 'sense of ownership on public spaces,' such as parks, restaurants, department stores, public transportation, and schools. During the 1960s Southern conservatives—having lost the legal war over segregation—abandoned public spaces rather than share them with blacks. The center of white life moved from urban neighborhoods to suburbs, from public transportation to private cars, from public parks to backyards. In the process, white conservatives articulated a new world view, which emphasized privacy, security, and lower taxes instead of overt racism. Kruse argues that 'modern conservatism'—the public philosophy of the current Republican Party—is a product of this experience."

In Boston Review, Jefferson Decker looks at two recent books on Southern conservatism. (Via Ghost in the Machine)